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Former LSU star Ben Simmons named NBA Rookie of the Year

Posted on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 by Jody Gill

Former LSU star Ben Simmons named NBA Rookie of the Year

Toronto and Melbourne United will square off on October 5 at what will then be named Scotiabank Arena (formerly the Air Canada Centre as of later this week). It's the second straight year the Australian league will send teams for games. This also continues the Raptors' strong tradition of spreading the game, as they've taken part in the NBA Global Games initiative overseas, run the NBA Canada Series around the country some years, and hosted worldwide opponents on a number of occasions.

A total of seven games between Australian NBL sides and National Basketball Association opposition have been unveiled, and the Breakers confirmed they will meet the Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix on October 3 as part of the cross-league extravaganza to run between September 28 and October 5.

The Sixers are coming off their best season since going to the NBA Finals in 2001.

Simmons helped Philadelphia to a 52-30 record, including ending the season with a 16-game winning streak.

As widely reported in Australian media, the NBA-ANBL pre-season series will grow from three to seven matchups this year.

Elsewhere, the Perth Wildcats will visit Joe Ingles'Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets, the Sydney Kings will meet the Los Angeles Clippers in Hawaii and the Adelaide 36ers will also match up against the Jazz in Salt Lake City. Just how much remains to be seen, but according to FiveThirtyEight's CARMELO NBA Player Projection, Simmons is projected to be worth more than $400 million over the next seven years.

Simmons, 21, becomes the first Australian player to win the award after his inaugural season with the Philadelphia 76ers.